Welcome to Part 2 of the Women’s History and National Craft Month blog post on women who are making waves in their respective crafts. If you missed Part 1, please read it here. Being a multi-hyphenate can sometimes make you feel all over the place, but for those of you who know, it can also be a blessing. As I was putting these two blog posts together, I noticed that all of these women started off doing many different things with their hands, like crochet, knitting, sewing, quilting, etc. I’m convinced that when you work with your hands, you can do many crafts or arts. Beauty is in making things or at least that’s how I feel.
“A Man who works with his hands is a laborer,
A man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman,
A man who works with his hand and his brain and his heart is an artist.” – Louis Nizer
Replace that with “woman” and this is my exact sentiment. These next seven women are creating their own niches in their respective fields, work with their hands, brain and heart and are truly artists.
Crochet
I still think crochet is looked at as the stepchild of knitting and not as hard or artistic as knitting. That’s totally not the truth. I can also knit, but crocheting makes more creative designs to me and it’s quicker. Not to say quicker is better, but sometimes you need a fast fix. Crochet is believed to have originated in 19th century Europe and gained popularity as a method of creating intricate fabric using a hooked needle. Now, crochet is used to make many different forms of clothing, accessories and even artwork.
Seda Kaya
Kedito is an elusive artist from Turkey, but the more you see her products, the more you want them. She makes all kinds of items from crochet, but her bags are the standout to me. She doesn’t have her own website but sells on her Etsy and you can see her products on Instagram and Pinterest too. She only does drops of her bags, which she announces, and then they promptly sell out. I know this can sound like “ain’t nobody got time for that”, but trust me, it’s worth it.
This bag is one of her most popular and sells out regularly.
This wooden top handle bag is so cute.
Glassblowing
33% of glass blowers are female and 67% are male. So this is a truly male-dominated industry. Glassblowing, originating in the 1st century BC in the Roman Empire, revolutionized the production of glass objects, allowing for intricate designs and shapes. From ancient glass vessels to modern artistic sculptures, glassblowing continues to be a celebrated craft worldwide.
Sarah Garrard
Sarah Garrard Glass | @sarahgarrardglass
Sarah Garrard started blowing glass in 2000 when she apprenticed in a small glass art studio in Texas. She also studied glass at Sheridan College and when she graduated she moved to Hawaii to assist glassblowers around the island. She took a sabbatical from glassblowing in 2008 to focus on becoming a Registered Nurse in Emergency Medicine. So it was not until 2020 that Sarah went back into the “hot shop” to pursue her passion again. She gets inspired by nature’s patterns, music, art and culture. She works and lives in Asheville, NC where there is a rich and diverse artistic community.
These whiskey glasses are so beautiful and come in several different colors.
Vases are so beautiful and this up close shot of the purple and yellow really shows all the intricacies of her work.
Weaving
Weaving, one of the earliest human technologies, dates back to the Paleolithic era and has played a crucial role in the development of societies around the world. From simple looms to factories, weaving has evolved alongside technological advancements. Quilting, with roots in ancient Egypt and China, became widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages as a practical means of creating warm bedding.
Julie Robert
When Julie was in Iceland in 2013, she discovered weaving. She’s a French born artist and started off styling magazine shots and working on advertising campaigns. Looking for an artistic outlet, weaving came just in time. After creating several pieces after her trip to Iceland and selling them right after that to a Seattle retail store in 2014, she decided to go into her art full time. She loves taking natural fibers and turning them into something special with dramatic shapes and stitching. Now she creates weavings for clients all over the world and teaches workshops in her craft.
Here is a beautiful pillow of hers that is also taught in one of her courses on domestika.org.
An up close look at Julie’s weaving which includes beading. I love large scale stitching in a weaving art piece.
Ceramics
Ceramics, one of the oldest forms of craftsmanship, traces its origins back to ancient civilizations such as the Chinese, Egyptians, and Greeks. Dating back to at least 24,000 BC, ceramics have evolved from simple clay vessels to intricate works of art and practical objects.
Malene Barnett
Malene Barnett | @malene.barnett
Malene is inspired by local potters, textile weavers and woodcarvers and she believes that her connection to clay is a spiritual one.. She is also a multi-hyphenate who started off as a rug designer, is a ceramicist, created a wallpaper line and is a fine artist. Unlike other mediums she loves that clay is malleable and that her finished pieces still have her fingerprints on it. She founded the Black Artists + Designers Guild, to address the lack of diversity in the design space. The BADG is a grouping of designers of color that includes a directory for finding designers you might not have heard of before but are certainly outstanding in their field.
She manipulates the clay in such an interesting way like it’s almost moving.
Malene’s tiles are creatively combined in this masterful art piece on the wall.
Shoemaking
Shoemaking, another ancient craft, has been integral to human civilization for thousands of years, with evidence dating back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Over time, the process of making shoes has evolved from simple leather sandals to complex, tailored footwear, reflecting changes in fashion and technology.
Keiko Hirosue-Korolev
Brooklyn Shoe Space | @brooklynshoespace
Keiko Hirosue first fell in love with shoemaking when she was in college and took her first shoemaking class in 2003. Born in the USA, she grew up in Japan and went to University there. After graduating, she moved to NYC for law school. She was working her way through corporate life and continued making shoes on her own. She produced shoe lines, but she started focusing on providing a co-working space for women to teach shoemaking and provide resources for supplies. She found a space and it turned into Brooklyn Shoe Space in 2009, a coworking space and classroom space for shoemakers and leather workers. In addition to Brooklyn Shoe Space, Hirosue and her business partner opened up a small shoe factory nearby with the goal of operating a clean, professional, small-quantity production facility. The factory is not only woman-owned, but also staffed primarily by women.
Handmade by Keiko, these brogues are taken up a notch by the yellow shoelaces and red soles.
Colorful suede booties are so cool with the patterned fabric on the inside.
Quilting
Quilting, with roots in ancient Egypt and China, became widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages as a practical means of creating warm bedding. Today, quilting is both an art form and a practical skill, with diverse styles and techniques.
Audrey Esarey
Cotton and Bourbon | @cottonandbourbon
Audrey is from Kentucky, hence the bourbon in the name and she’s also been known to partake while she’s quilting. She considers herself a maker and started off sewing. She began quilting in 2005 and after 2018 she realized her goal of being able to exhibit her works in juried shows like Quilt National, QuiltCon, the International Quilt Festival and has won many awards. She’s known for her modern and curved designs and close stitching. She does all the things like works on canvas, teaching, workshops, online classes, custom quilts, tutorials and quilt patterns.
This spectacular quilt combines circles, stripes and checks to show off all of her superior quilt abilities.
As a quilter, when I tell you how hard it is to get these quilt lines straight like this; believe me. This is incredible.
Papermaking
Human beings have been writing and documenting since the very beginning of time. Before paper was invented, people wrote on bones, caves, papyrus, wood, metals, leaves, and bark from trees. Parchment was used in both Europe and Asia Minor, made from sheepskin, as early as 1500 BC. An emperor in China is widely credited for papermaking. In the year 615 the papermaking process spread to Japan and finally to Europe in 1151. The first paper mill was built in England in 1488 and reached the United States through a German immigrant in Pennsylvania, in 1690. The art of making paper is still honored and enjoyed by many artists around the world.
Lauren Smith
Lauren started off many years ago with doing calligraphy and owning a stationery company. Now she makes paper, botanically dyes the handmade paper and produces letterpress printed goods that are inspired by nature. In having a self-described “obsession” with botanicals, all of her prints come out of my fascination with botany and ecology. Her creative process begins out in the countryside and fields of England gathering different botanicals for her work. Her papers are made from reclaimed rags and plant fibers which she either leaves in their natural tones or dyes with botanicals. Nothing is wasted and everything is repurposed; reusing dye-baths, dyes and turning leftover color into new pigments.
Made from donated old denim and white cotton, these pieces are then made into pulp to produce these marble/tie-dyed sheets. Fascinating.
Not only can you buy paper from her, but you can have it letter-press printed. It’s a twofer.
I might sound like a broken record, but I truly believe something good came out of the pandemic as far as slowing down and taking your time to enjoy life and leisure time again. A newfound love of crafting and artisanal works emerged from the darkness of that time and I truly believe there’s always a silver lining.
Are you a crafter, artisan or maker? Let me know in the comments what you think about craft vs art and if you’ve enjoyed this 2-part series.
See ya next time.
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